The Foundation’s support will establish the new Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship program and the Joanne Barkett Conway Dean's Emergency Fund which will provide scholarships and emergency funding to students in the Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing.
Belmont University has received significant funding from the Bedford Falls Foundation, whose mission is nursing philanthropy, to establish the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship program and the Joanne Barkett Conway Dean's Emergency Fund to help address the current nursing shortage affecting the United States. The Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship program will be able to help up to 200 nursing students pursue their careers.
According to an article on Belmont University’s website, Dr. Greg Jones, the university’s president, expressed his gratitude for the Foundation’s $2 million gift. He is quoted as saying, "We are deeply grateful to the Bedford Falls Foundation for this partnership, which strengthens Belmont's role as a leader in nursing education and enhances our ability to serve as a pathway for the nursing workforce our nation desperately needs. The Bedford Falls Foundation shares our vision that accessible, high-quality nursing education is essential to meeting the health care challenges of tomorrow."
A combination of factors is contributing to the country’s current nursing shortage, including a significant portion of the nursing workforce planning to retire within the next five years and nursing student candidates being turned away from schools due to insufficient staffing or facilities to accommodate them. The gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation will help Belmont University make strides toward alleviating the shortage by allowing for more students to attend the university’s nursing programs in the upcoming fall semester and by helping students stay in school by helping them financially.
The Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship program will allow for an additional cohort of BSN program students to begin their studies this fall. These students will be named Conway Scholars in honor of Bedford Falls Foundation founder and trustee Bill Conway Jr. and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway.
Speaking of the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship program, Dr. Julie Honey, dean of the Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing, said, "This extraordinary gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation is transformational. Our shared belief is that no aspiring nurse should be deterred from answering his or her calling due to financial barriers, and these Conway Scholars will be equipped with the support they need to focus on their studies and future careers in nursing. We are deeply honored to carry forward the legacy of compassion and generosity that Bill and Joanne Conway so beautifully represent."
The other component of the gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation is the establishment of the Joanne Barkett Conway Dean's Emergency Fund, which will help students stay in class by helping them with unexpected financial hardships or emergencies that may otherwise keep them from continuing their studies, ensuring a steady flow of trained and qualified students will be able to graduate from the program.
Bill Conway Jr. said, "Nursing education is one of the most powerful investments we can make in America's future. When financial barriers for nursing students are removed, lives are changed and our health care system is strengthened. We're proud to partner with Belmont University to help prepare the next generation of nurses who will serve their communities for decades to come."
For more information about Belmont University, visit the school’s website.